Rain moves Earth Day celebration indoors at Ansonia Nature Center

Nature center volunteer James Fourtin shows off a python friend at Saturday's Earth Day celebration.

 

James Tully holds a boa constrictor at the nature center. He said the snake wasn't venomous. Tully also showed visitors what looked like a tarantula but I didn't venture close enough to take a photo. I decided to keep my distance.
  

Get to know local snakes at Ansonia Nature Center program

ANSONIA - Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation is celebrating 2013 as the Year of the Snake.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Wildlife Division is participating in this yearlong outreach campaign to raise awareness of the status of snakes and the threats and human attitudes that contribute to their decline.

There are 14 native species of snakes found in Connecticut.

At 2 p.m. Aug. 17 join Assistant Nature Center Director Alison Rubelmann who will conduct a program on local snakes and other reptiles who are often in need of some good public relations.
Learn how snakes benefit people and the environment.

Call 203-736-1053 to register for this free program. The nature center is at 10 Deerfield Road.

Talk to focus on crocodile ancestors

Lecture series to kick off at nature center

ANSONIA - Jonathan Weinbaum, a professor at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, will give the first in a new series of SCSU lectures at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center.

Imagine looking for crocodiles in the desert. Weinbaum conducts field research in the colorful badlands of the American Southwest in search of fossils of the extinct ancestors of modern crocodylians.

Research results suggest that ancient crocodylians were not cold-blooded unlike primitive reptiles and modern crocodiles and alligators. This changes the way scientists think about what it means to be a reptile.

This free program is geared toward adults and older students. 
To register, call 203-736-1053. The nature center is at 10 Deerfield Road.

This information was provided by the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center.